Ben Robbins
@lamemage.com
game designer, made Microscope, Kingdom, West Marches, this that and the other thing. I blog at arsludi.lamemage.com
Pinned
Ben Robbins
@lamemage.com
· Dec 9
Rules of Law Is Ready to Play
Our justice says who we are as a people. What do we punish? Do we enforce our laws fairly for everyone? Do we think our system is just?
These are big questions about the foundations of society, so of...
arsludi.lamemage.com
You know what tells you a lot about a society? Our LAWS.
What do we punish? Do we enforce them fairly? Do we think our laws are just?
So of course I made world-building game about that…
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/48...
What do we punish? Do we enforce them fairly? Do we think our laws are just?
So of course I made world-building game about that…
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/48...
The idea of using Kingdom to play a slasher flick is still killing me. So to speak
2 perspective (final girl and false suspect) and 4 touchstones (useless scream queens)
i laughed so hard i got a headache
i laughed so hard i got a headache
February 10, 2026 at 1:23 AM
The idea of using Kingdom to play a slasher flick is still killing me. So to speak
In This World… frogs are part of the family
Because Frogs Я Dogs
Because Frogs Я Dogs
Pffff tidying up the table I picked up the In This World papers from a game @thehintguy.bsky.social played with his friends yesterday wtf this is so great lol. @lamemage.com Look what your games make people do 😂
February 9, 2026 at 3:20 AM
In This World… frogs are part of the family
Because Frogs Я Dogs
Because Frogs Я Dogs
Someone really wanted peace. I hear ya
playing Kingdom 2e by @lamemage.com and we had to take a vote on how many Crisis boxes to uncheck. there was a disagreement
February 7, 2026 at 9:54 PM
Someone really wanted peace. I hear ya
Your daily Constitutional rules check:
Article II "He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur"
In other words, any treaty must be approved by 2/3rds of the Senate or it does not count.
Article II "He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur"
In other words, any treaty must be approved by 2/3rds of the Senate or it does not count.
February 7, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Your daily Constitutional rules check:
Article II "He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur"
In other words, any treaty must be approved by 2/3rds of the Senate or it does not count.
Article II "He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur"
In other words, any treaty must be approved by 2/3rds of the Senate or it does not count.
Sometimes as a game designer the hardest thing is resisting adding another rule
February 7, 2026 at 3:35 AM
Sometimes as a game designer the hardest thing is resisting adding another rule
"How do we get these city-states to stop stabbing each other??"
The Delphic Oracle knew what she was doing
The Delphic Oracle knew what she was doing
Is this a safe space to admit that I always get super emotional about the Olympics? Like tearing up at every opening ceremony about wow, peace and cooperation are beautiful and the community of nations is real. I’m cringe but I’m free
February 6, 2026 at 8:16 PM
"How do we get these city-states to stop stabbing each other??"
The Delphic Oracle knew what she was doing
The Delphic Oracle knew what she was doing
We played This Means War for the first time last night and my brain is on fiiiiiire. So much fun.
Also highly entertaining watching the other players slowly realize the full extent of my game design madness…
Also highly entertaining watching the other players slowly realize the full extent of my game design madness…
"What if I made a game that did the opposite of all the things I normally do???"
That's me, working on THIS MEANS WAR for the last few months.
Well, except the GMless part. Still GMless. Though maybe a very different kind of GMless…
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/49...
That's me, working on THIS MEANS WAR for the last few months.
Well, except the GMless part. Still GMless. Though maybe a very different kind of GMless…
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/49...
My Second Summerlab Game: This Means War
If you look at the games I've made over the years, there a few things that are true for all of them:
no built-in violence
no dice deciding outcomes
the players control what's true in the world
Sur...
arsludi.lamemage.com
February 5, 2026 at 6:28 PM
We played This Means War for the first time last night and my brain is on fiiiiiire. So much fun.
Also highly entertaining watching the other players slowly realize the full extent of my game design madness…
Also highly entertaining watching the other players slowly realize the full extent of my game design madness…
Reposted by Ben Robbins
I came out of my cave and did an interview with the lovely folks on the Read, Play, Game podcast about a month ago. Listen to our delightful conversation about Fedora Noir, gm-less games, and what I'm working on next! <3
Fedora Noir - Interview (feat. Caroline Hobbs) | Read, Play, Game
shows.acast.com
February 4, 2026 at 11:06 PM
I came out of my cave and did an interview with the lovely folks on the Read, Play, Game podcast about a month ago. Listen to our delightful conversation about Fedora Noir, gm-less games, and what I'm working on next! <3
"What if I made a game that did the opposite of all the things I normally do???"
That's me, working on THIS MEANS WAR for the last few months.
Well, except the GMless part. Still GMless. Though maybe a very different kind of GMless…
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/49...
That's me, working on THIS MEANS WAR for the last few months.
Well, except the GMless part. Still GMless. Though maybe a very different kind of GMless…
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/49...
My Second Summerlab Game: This Means War
If you look at the games I've made over the years, there a few things that are true for all of them:
no built-in violence
no dice deciding outcomes
the players control what's true in the world
Sur...
arsludi.lamemage.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:44 PM
"What if I made a game that did the opposite of all the things I normally do???"
That's me, working on THIS MEANS WAR for the last few months.
Well, except the GMless part. Still GMless. Though maybe a very different kind of GMless…
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/49...
That's me, working on THIS MEANS WAR for the last few months.
Well, except the GMless part. Still GMless. Though maybe a very different kind of GMless…
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/49...
I hadn't watched Alien in ages, but with the power of hi def I realized that when Harry Dean Stanton's character is in the dripping room with the chains, the massive machinery in the background is actually one of the retracted feet of the ship from the landing scene.
February 2, 2026 at 8:33 PM
I hadn't watched Alien in ages, but with the power of hi def I realized that when Harry Dean Stanton's character is in the dripping room with the chains, the massive machinery in the background is actually one of the retracted feet of the ship from the landing scene.
I love that the history *ends* with the city being founded.
Classic Microscope move!
Classic Microscope move!
First GMless Wednesday game of the year was Microscope!
We created a timeline for how humanity rebuilt after the emergence of giant earth spirits caused a great disaster, and founded the great port city of Laluza.
Our history included how we figured out how to fuse human and car spirits.
We created a timeline for how humanity rebuilt after the emergence of giant earth spirits caused a great disaster, and founded the great port city of Laluza.
Our history included how we figured out how to fuse human and car spirits.
January 28, 2026 at 5:15 PM
I love that the history *ends* with the city being founded.
Classic Microscope move!
Classic Microscope move!
Raise your hand if doing so would put your hand above the snow line
Sorry, buried under snow here, joke supply running low
Sorry, buried under snow here, joke supply running low
January 27, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Raise your hand if doing so would put your hand above the snow line
Sorry, buried under snow here, joke supply running low
Sorry, buried under snow here, joke supply running low
I jump up and down with excitement when people jump up and down with excitement!
"community organizing and mutual aid" Oh hell yes! Have fun playing!
"community organizing and mutual aid" Oh hell yes! Have fun playing!
Literally jumped up and down with excitement when these two gorgeous works of art by @lamemage.com arrived in the mail yesterday.
I've always been huge on community organizing and mutual aid. So I'm stoked to use these as a way to get my TTRPG friends talking about it (and hopefully get involved)
I've always been huge on community organizing and mutual aid. So I'm stoked to use these as a way to get my TTRPG friends talking about it (and hopefully get involved)
January 26, 2026 at 9:01 PM
I jump up and down with excitement when people jump up and down with excitement!
"community organizing and mutual aid" Oh hell yes! Have fun playing!
"community organizing and mutual aid" Oh hell yes! Have fun playing!
Extra credit to Dracula, where they not only get in a room together, but they compile an entire book of what has happened so far, which is the found-text you've been reading all along…
Why don’t more books have a Council of Elrond chapter HMMMMM why aren’t you getting everybody who knows anything into a room together to figure out what the fuck is going on and what to do about it
January 26, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Extra credit to Dracula, where they not only get in a room together, but they compile an entire book of what has happened so far, which is the found-text you've been reading all along…
Reposted by Ben Robbins
Sometimes I’ll end up with a giant lore-sized hole in my game and a game like Microscope is always a good thing for the group to pivot to.
My players discovered a key faction in a 5e game once who had this giant history I hadn’t created yet, so we used Kingdom to make it together. Sublime.
My players discovered a key faction in a 5e game once who had this giant history I hadn’t created yet, so we used Kingdom to make it together. Sublime.
It has been three days since I first thought about running a co-current Microscope game alongside my Daggerheart game and as the days go by find myself just making a list of "Folks it would be cool to recruit and worldbuild with to cause my players problems"
January 25, 2026 at 3:10 AM
Sometimes I’ll end up with a giant lore-sized hole in my game and a game like Microscope is always a good thing for the group to pivot to.
My players discovered a key faction in a 5e game once who had this giant history I hadn’t created yet, so we used Kingdom to make it together. Sublime.
My players discovered a key faction in a 5e game once who had this giant history I hadn’t created yet, so we used Kingdom to make it together. Sublime.
So instead of using Microscope to collaboratively world-build with the players, using it with a separate group to create backstory and events for the players to discover and deal with?
I smell evil genius…
I smell evil genius…
It has been three days since I first thought about running a co-current Microscope game alongside my Daggerheart game and as the days go by find myself just making a list of "Folks it would be cool to recruit and worldbuild with to cause my players problems"
January 23, 2026 at 6:10 PM
So instead of using Microscope to collaboratively world-build with the players, using it with a separate group to create backstory and events for the players to discover and deal with?
I smell evil genius…
I smell evil genius…
January 22, 2026 at 3:00 AM
I don't want games that tell me what to think.
I want games that encourage me _to_ think.
… shocking absolutely no one who has played my games
I want games that encourage me _to_ think.
… shocking absolutely no one who has played my games
January 14, 2026 at 10:59 PM
I don't want games that tell me what to think.
I want games that encourage me _to_ think.
… shocking absolutely no one who has played my games
I want games that encourage me _to_ think.
… shocking absolutely no one who has played my games
And a big part of this design process is absolutely hiding all that crunch from the players.
Shhhh! Don't tell them. Our secret
#summerlab
Shhhh! Don't tell them. Our secret
#summerlab
I'm working on what might be my most mechanically detailed game ever. There are SPREADSHEETS. And spreadsheets to analyze those spreadsheets.
But, uhh, only for the design process. No spreadsheets in play. Sorry, spreadsheet-stans.
#summerlab
But, uhh, only for the design process. No spreadsheets in play. Sorry, spreadsheet-stans.
#summerlab
January 14, 2026 at 7:45 PM
And a big part of this design process is absolutely hiding all that crunch from the players.
Shhhh! Don't tell them. Our secret
#summerlab
Shhhh! Don't tell them. Our secret
#summerlab
If you're going to be on a list, that's a good list to be on
we've been called communist stardew valley in space and you're not wrong but we're also these
January 14, 2026 at 7:30 PM
If you're going to be on a list, that's a good list to be on
I'm working on what might be my most mechanically detailed game ever. There are SPREADSHEETS. And spreadsheets to analyze those spreadsheets.
But, uhh, only for the design process. No spreadsheets in play. Sorry, spreadsheet-stans.
#summerlab
But, uhh, only for the design process. No spreadsheets in play. Sorry, spreadsheet-stans.
#summerlab
January 12, 2026 at 8:37 PM
I'm working on what might be my most mechanically detailed game ever. There are SPREADSHEETS. And spreadsheets to analyze those spreadsheets.
But, uhh, only for the design process. No spreadsheets in play. Sorry, spreadsheet-stans.
#summerlab
But, uhh, only for the design process. No spreadsheets in play. Sorry, spreadsheet-stans.
#summerlab
Scientists have proven time and again that there are more amazing Kingdom ideas than there are days to play them
*stares at endless backlog of fun*
*stares at endless backlog of fun*
just did a session zero for a game of @lamemage.com's Kingdom 2e and got an *even cooler* set-up than the last 2 times i played it 🤤
January 11, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Scientists have proven time and again that there are more amazing Kingdom ideas than there are days to play them
*stares at endless backlog of fun*
*stares at endless backlog of fun*
"People will say 'What's that sound I don't hear?? The Flying Duckwish!!!'"
I finally did a writeup for one of the Downfall games I played last year! We did something *weird* and explored two different cultures in the same broad setting, with the same Flaw. River hobbits and dirty horses warriors! One ended in disapproving gossip and the other in a bloodbath - such stakes!
<3 Games Blog: River Hobbits & Dirty Horses
One of the things I enjoy most about longer-form Downfall games is the ability to let things simmer, explore relationships outside of the Hero, and get into the heart of what different voices in the s...
www.lessthanthreegames.com
January 7, 2026 at 10:15 PM
"People will say 'What's that sound I don't hear?? The Flying Duckwish!!!'"
psst, hey kid, want a quick mental framework that improves your play in co-creative games with broad narrative authority???
#gmless #groundtable
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/49...
#gmless #groundtable
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/49...
Fill One Square
We're sitting down to play a story game. We're going to build worlds together and generally make a bunch of stuff up.
Imagine our fiction as a chess board. Forget all the rules of chess: none of that...
arsludi.lamemage.com
January 7, 2026 at 12:55 AM
psst, hey kid, want a quick mental framework that improves your play in co-creative games with broad narrative authority???
#gmless #groundtable
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/49...
#gmless #groundtable
arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/49...
Honestly, that may be the most thoughtful description of Follow I've heard in a long time.
Matt gets it.
#FollowRPG
Matt gets it.
#FollowRPG
OK, have at it. This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of games I want to play this year. I think it's a fun list!
youtu.be/1mi7YiRJSWg
youtu.be/1mi7YiRJSWg
10 RPGS We HAVE To Play in 2026! | The Ironsworn Guyz | Podcast
YouTube video by The Bad Spot
youtu.be
January 6, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Honestly, that may be the most thoughtful description of Follow I've heard in a long time.
Matt gets it.
#FollowRPG
Matt gets it.
#FollowRPG